Not Over You
by animefan03
Summary: Juliet Uchiha was the woman Sasuke left behind in his conquest for revenge and power. With the possible loss of a child and the abandonment that loom over her head will she ever be able to love again? Will Sasuke ever come back for her? She finds friends in the Jonin of the Leaf and comfort in being a workaholic. Asuma, Kakashi, Sasuke Fic Possible lemons! I do not own Naruto!
1. Chapter 1

_Running through the streets of Konoha, she was a flash of wild red hair. Her breathing ragged as her chest heaved with exhaustion. The tears that welled in her eye threatened to spill over as she pressed on. 'No….he wouldn't leave me…' the words echoed in her mind almost hauntingly. She didn't want to believe it, that he would leave her, not after two years of marriage, he promised her he would never do this to her. Her thoughts came to a halt as she laid eyes on him, finally reaching out to grab his shirt. He turned to face her, his eyes filled with disgust at how weak she must have looked right now. She opened her mouth to say something, anything, the words she was looking for never came, instead she looked down in horror to see his arm sticking straight through her stomach, Chidori glowing as he drew his hand from her letting her collapse in pain as he turned to walk away from her…blood gurgled in her throat as she managed to make out something…the name that was forever on her lips…."Sasuke" she screamed out to him as everything went black. She felt someone shaking her but she was already too far gone._

Juliet awoke with a jump. Wrath was hovering above her shaking her shoulders returning her to consciousness. She coughed the dryness in her throat was painfully evident. "Let me get you some water" he mumbled ruffling her hair worriedly. She smiled, embarrassed when he returned a few seconds later with a cup of ice water and a worried look in his eyes. "Here you are Julie-chan!" he handed her the cup helping her sit up so she could drink it. "Thank you" she smiled at him. Wrath had been taking care of Juliet for the past 2 months since Sasuke left her. She was thankful for Wrath he had seen her at her worst, he held her through the night terrors, the hours of sobs that wracked her frail body, he cooked for her when she refused to eat, he dragged her out to socialize when she shut herself out, and never let her have the chance to feel alone. Lady Tsunade had granted her an extended leave of absence due to her current state. Day by day she was getting better, slowly but she was and it was thanks to her friends, Wrath and Hatashi (her teammates), and the leaf shinobi helped her through her time of need.

Stretching, Juliet swung her legs out of bed and hoisted herself up taking Wrath's wrist as she willed her feet to take her to the kitchen. Hatashi was waiting at the table already, chopsticks in hand patiently waiting for them so that he could eat. "Oi! Took you long enough! I'm starving!" She smiled, '_Always so impatient' _she thought to herself as she sat down and dug in herself. "Today's my first day back at the hospital" she stated, making the two men look up at her happily. Hatashi was the first one to break the silence, "That's wonderful Jewels! I'm glad hear it, and I'm sure Lady Tsunade will be too. You are on your way to being one of the greatest medical nins being trained by the Hokage herself and all" he beemed proudly at her. She blushed as she always did when taking compliments "Naw…I'm not that great" she mumbled and finished up breakfast, "Well looks like it's time for me to head out, I'll see you guys when I get home!" She headed to the bathroom and got ready and started on her way to the hospital.

Lady Tsunade sat at her desk staring down at some paperwork when Juliet walked in. "My lady" she addressed her. "Juliet! I'm so glad to see you! I'm sorry, I know I had said I would train with you today but I need you to head off immediately! We sent out some teams to track the Akatsuki and I believe one of them has gone into combat with them. They may need your medical skills, I have prepared supplies for you." Juliet stands there for a minute dumbstruck but nods her head and grabs the supplies from Tsunade's desk and turns to head out. She stops for a moment and looks back at her "Which team?" Tsunade looks at her gravely "I believe it is Asuma's team. Juliet, be cautious I know you've become close with them, don't let your emotions cloud your judgment. And whatever you do, DO NOT use your kekkei genkai, I have received the results of the pregnancy test we ran two months ago, but haven't had the chance to go over them." With that said Juliet left. In a flash red she darted to the location of Asuma's team, hoping she would make it in time if they needed help.

Asuma had become a close friend of Juliet's. She often found herself watching over the heated games of Shogi between he and Shikamaru. Asuma looked after her when Wrath and Hatashi were out on missions keeping her company and taking her along with his team when they went for barbeque or when all the Jonin when out for sake. As she neared their location she could hear the distant rumble of thunder in the sky as the dark clouds rolled in. A flock of raven's were visible overhead. _'Aoba?'_ She didn't expect him to be there _'Had they needed back up?!'_ Her pace picked up, a feeling of nervousness building in her stomach. The rain began to fall as she reached the scene. The two Akatsuki disappeared into a cloud of smoke. There was a pool of blood just a ways away that she desperately hoped belonged to the enemy but as she looked up to the roof her hopes were crushed.

She jumped up to the roof where they had laid Asuma down. He was bleeding from his mouth and other multiple wounds on his body. Ino wasn't healing him, she sat crying with her hands clenched together in her lap. Choji was to her side tears sliding down his cheeks as well. She looked to Shikamaru who sat talking to his dying sensei. The Jonin stood in the rain paying their respects to their comrade while his life slipped away slowly. She didn't feel the tears that were falling from her eyes but she knew they were there. Her voice broke the silence making everyone look up at her, suddenly aware of her presence, "Shika-kun?" she held back a sob.

He looked at her, his composure on the brink of crumbling down. Juliet dropped to her knees cradling Asuma's head in her lap. His eyes locked with hers almost apologetically "Hey there lil lady". "Shhhh…" She shushed him "You'll be fine. Ino do you think we could tackle this together?" The blonde looked down and shook her head as she held back a sob.

Juliet took a deep breath and dwelled on the words of the Hokage, _'whatever you do, DO NOT use your kekkei genkai, I have received the results of the pregnancy test we ran two months ago, but haven't had the chance to go over them'_. Asuma coughed in her lap a sickening gurgle brought her attention to him, blood soaked her skirt as it ran out of his mouth. Tears fell again as she placed her hands on either side of his face and closed her eyes _'Please forgive me…saving the life of a friend outweighs the loss of a possible child….'_ She initiated her kekkei genkai and readied herself for the pain that would come. Slowly Asuma's wounds started to heal themselves and the light of life returned to his eyes. Although they were only a fraction of the originals, the wounds that were transferred to her own self ripped at her body viciously. Blood seeped through her shirt and as she felt the three tear through her lower body she knew if there was a child there it had no chance of surviving such a wound. Juliet slipped out of consciousness as Asuma came to and Aoba caught her gathering her in her arms and carrying her to Tsunade.


	2. Chapter 2

The last thing Asuma remembered was her eyes, Juliet's beautiful mismatched eyes boring into his own as he felt himself slipping away. He closed his eyes, but he still could picture them in his mind, her one turquoise orb stunningly contrasting the other that was a unique shade of hunter green. He had never seen such a beautiful set of eyes on anyone. They stared down at him in desperation willing him to struggle on. His hope was all but gone and the pain was starting to numb as he lost feeling in his limbs. Every breath still struck him with agony due to the wounds in his abdomen. He welcomed death with a heavy heart. He was in the process of giving up when he felt an odd almost warm feeling rush over him replacing the pain that was just there not only a few seconds ago crippling him. His body was mending itself, life's breath returned to his chest again, he could feel his legs, then his arms, slowly he was regaining feeling everywhere. Willing himself to sit up, he jerked his head from the force of hands that had once held him there and opened his eyes taking in the scene before him.

'_No!'_ his mind screamed out as he saw her. Aoba caught Juliet before she fell back into the cement surface of the roof. She hung like dead weight in his arms, blood soaked her clothes, and he took note of the shallowness of her breathing. "We need to get her to Tsunade, immediately!" he stated. Asuma nodded and they took off towards Konoha. Asuma fell back a few paces to keep step with Shikamaru. "What happened?" he asked. Shikamaru kept his eyes focused forward but Asuma could still read the worried look on his face. "She used her kekkei genkai to take the injuries that you suffered upon herself. Although they were only a fraction of the originals they are still serious. But there was no other way, tch… She saved your life, when I couldn't. I've ran this scenario through my head a million times but I still wasn't prepared for this. Dammit, if I would've…" Asuma put his hand on his shoulder cutting him off "Shikamaru, it wasn't anyone's fault. Our enemies were a formidable team and we were not strong enough that is all. I should be one lying there lifeless not her…" He couldn't say anymore, the thought of it brought on an ache in his chest that crippled him in pain.

Konoha seemed a million miles away and Asuma felt as if they were closing in on the village in increments of inches rather than miles. After an eternity or so it felt they reached the gates. Genma and Hayate greeted them as they rushed in. "What happened?" Genma yelled. Ino grabbed him by the sleeve and yelled for him to follow her to grab Sakura and supplies and told the rest that she would meet them in Tsunade's office. Aoba picked up the pace as they saw the Hokage's office come into view. Asuma looked over at the unconscious kunoichi in Aoba's arms. Juliet was soaked in blood, the rise and fall of her chest seemed sporadic as her breath came out in labored puffs. Her eyes were shut but moved restlessly under their lids. A burn had taken over the right side of her face. Guilt swept over him as hard as the pounding rain. _'I shouldn't have been so reckless and this never would've happened' _he mentally chastised himself and pressed on towards the Hokage's office.

Tsunade was sitting at her desk looking over mission reports when Asuma burst through her door, holding it open for Aoba who held her cherished student in his arms. She looked at him in horror and shoved everything off of her desk. "Lay her down here hurry. Someone go get Sakura and Ino fast have them bring me supplies!" As if on cue they hurried through the door arms full of medical supplies. "Oi, Sakura I need your help! Get to work on the abdominal wounds first, Ino try and control the bleeding in her leg! Genma go down to the hospital and tell Shizune I'm going to need an emergency blood transfusion type O along with an IV and a stretcher we need to move her into the critical unit. Sakura attach the heart monitor. Let's get going" Tsunade yelled, Genma ran to get Shizune, and Sakura attached the heart monitor and got to work.

The shinobi sat in silence as the three worked their medical ninjutsu on their comrade who lay bleeding out on Tsunade's desk. Ino was starting to tremble her chakra was fading fast the leg wound seemed to not want to close. Shizune returned and began the blood transfusion and IV. Tsunade watched Ino falter as she became exhausted. "Shizune, take Sakura's place, Sakura you take over for Ino. Be careful we have to make the transition as seamless as possible so we don't put her body into shock." The three got ready Shizune stood behind Sakura, and Sakura poised herself to move "One, two…." Ino's chakra ran out too soon leaving the wound wide open, Sakura ran to take over but it was too late. Juliet flat lined. Her heart stopped beating.

Tsunade clenched her teeth and swore under her breath. She began attempts at resuscitation. Asuma watched Juliet's body jerk with each chest compression, sure Tsunade was going to crush her if she kept up the pace at which she was going, but he didn't dare say a word. The usually reserved Hokage's eyes had welled with tears he was sure of it. The rest of the shinobi in the room stood horrified, afraid to move watching the heart wrenching scene unfolding before them. It felt like the minutes had turned into hours and Tsunade's attempts were beginning to look more desperate with each set of compressions.

Asuma watched as the Legendary Sanin slumped down into her chair, her disheveled hair hung in her face in an attempt to hide the tears that slid down her cheeks. He saw her mouth open as she went to sigh but her voice broke and a sob tore from her throat instead. She placed her head in her hands as the alarm on the monitor ripped at her heart. Looking down at Juliet she stroked Juliet's cheek and tried to smooth her wild red hair.

Asuma tried to grab Shikamaru before he could step any closer but his attention once again was on Tsunade as she stood up. Her fist glowing green with chakra, she drove her fist down onto Juliet's chest screaming at her "Breathe Dammit! Don't you dare give up on me now!" Her fist made contact with the young kunoichi's chest forcing chakra into her lungs, the force caused Juliet's lungs to contract and her blood to flow. Her heart was beating again. Tsunade immediately called the medics and Juliet sat up in a fit of coughing. Asuma held her as she shook, coughing up blood. He helped the medics put her on a stretcher and watched as they wheeled her down into the critical care wing, Tsunade and Sakura on either side of the bed healing her.

Shikamaru cleared everyone out of the room as Asuma slumped against the wall. He sat down next to his sensei and lit up a cigarette, "She'll be fine now. She's in good hands" he reassured both himself and his sensei. Asuma sighed and lit one up as well "I know, but still… I can't shake this guilty feeling" he sighed '_this was all my fault'_ he closed his eyes and took a long drag


	3. Chapter 3

~~~~_Hey it's me Animefan03! Just a little background on this story since I forgot to elaborate in the first chapter, in this story the ages are altered a little from the original ages actually given in the show._

_Juliet & Naruto – 20_

_Sasuke, Kiba, Shino, Hinata, Sakura, Ino, Shikamaru, & Choji– 21_

_Sai – 22_

_Wrath & Hatashi – 24_

_Nyako – 34_

_Kakashi – 31_

_Asuma – 35_

_Kurenai – 32_

_Iruka & Yamato – 29_

_Kotetsu & Izumo – 28_

_Genma & Aoba – 36_

_Juliet's parents were natives of The Land of Waves and heirs of two rival clans, her mother's being the Ookami clan and her father's the Yashiro. The two clans had arranged for their marriage to keep peace among the rival clans. But before the clans could ever see the peace they had forged through the bond, The Land of Waves was destroyed during the last Great Ninja War. Her mother, Anastasia, and her father Jintoko, had fled together and found sanctuary in the Leaf Village where they pledged their loyalty to the Leaf's Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, by becoming ninja to serve and protect the village. _

_Anastasia and Jin became close friends with Mikoto and Fugaku Uchiha. And as they were worried about the future of their clans and the passing on of the kekkei genkai to their future children, so they made a pact with the Uchiha clan more specifically, Mikoto and Fugaku, promising their future child's hand in marriage in exchange for protection. _

_Jin and Ana's marriage produced one child, a beautiful scarlet haired girl whom they named Juliet. Mikoto and Fugaku had two boys, Itachi and Sasuke, and Itachi being the eldest was arranged to marry Juliet when they had both become of age. _

_Some years later…_

_After the slaughter of the entire Uchiha clan at the hands of Itachi, the pact was broken. On that fateful night however, Itachi paid a visit to Anastasia bestowing upon her the truth of what really happened that night as well as asking her to provide a safe haven for Sasuke, his beloved younger brother. Anastasia and Jin raised Sasuke like he too was their own child. They lived together, the four of them as a family. Peace didn't last long though, Jin was out on a mission, leaving Ana home with Juliet and Sasuke (now 12), when a masked ninja broke in and eliminated Ana. When Jin found out he sought only revenge and left the village to avenge his dead wife, becoming an S-Rank criminal and leaving his children behind. ~~~~_

**~Back to the Story~**

"_Juliet, baby? Is that you?" Her mother's voice echoed through her head._

"_Nnngh..Momma?" She struggled to open her eyes, against the bright light that was trying to force them shut. As she opened them, she took in her surroundings with a sharp intake of breath. She felt like she was floating in a sea of light, it made her feel warm and was starting to cause her skin to tingle. A hand made its way to her shoulder and startled her when it made contact with her skin sending a comforting aura throughout her body. She turned to face her mother, who pulled her into a tight embrace._

"_Oh, my darling rose bud, you've bloomed into quite the beautiful flower haven't you?" Anastasia muttered into her daughter's soft curls, "You know I always told your father that there would come a day when he met a woman even more beautiful then he claimed me to be. If he could only see you now he would see that I was right" _

"_Momma, I missed you so much! I'm so happy we can finally be together again" Juliet sobbed into the embrace. _

"_I'm happy to see you too my darling, but I'm afraid you can't stay. You still have quite some time left," she smiled down at her daughter who only seemed to cry harder "You see, I only came to visit for a short while and you will be waking up soon. I have something to tell you that you mustn't ever repeat to anyone. No one can know that you know ok baby? Promise me that?" _

_Juliet was puzzled but gave a nod of approval._

"_That night when Itachi murdered his family, you see, it wasn't his fault, he was stuck between two allegiances, one to his clan who wanted to overthrow the Hokage and claim the Leaf Village as their own, and the other to the Hokage and the people of the Leaf who were trying to keep the peace between all clans and nations of the shinobi world. The Hokage wanted to make peaceful negotiations with the Uchiha in hopes of coming to an agreement, but he was running out of time and Danzo, one of the elders who holds a seat in the council and has direct order over many of the ANBU factions ordered Itachi to eradicate the entire clan. So in order to keep peace in the village, Itachi killed his clan, with the exception of Sasuke. He could not bring himself to kill his little brother and I honor him to this day because of it. He entrusted Sasuke's safety to me and your father and shared his truth with me that night, he apologized for burdening us, but I assured him that he and Sasuke were like family to us and there was no need for apologies. He asked that your engagement to him be rearranged so that you were promised to Sasuke and the two of you could protect each other. Itachi really loved Sasuke and in turn you as well. He made the ultimate sacrifice, one that even I and your father would not have been able to make. He did all of this so that you and Sasuke and the rest of the Leaf would never again have to know the pain that came with war. And it is because I knew this, that I was killed. I have my suspicions as to who organized my death, but none of it matters now. Juliet, I'm telling you the truth because I want you to use it to create peace." Ana's hands started to fade and a sad look took over her features, "It looks like it's time for me to go, my sweet child."_

_Juliet clung to her mother, "Wait! I don't understand! How could any peace come of this truth! Don't leave; I do not know what I am supposed to do!" _

"_I have to go now, Juliet," she smiled and gave her one last hug "I believe in you. You will figure this out. Goodbye for now, Aishiteru" _

_Ana placed a kiss on Juliet's forehead and disappeared. _

"_Aisheteru, Okaachan"_

Juliet woke to the sound of a steady beeping keeping rhythm with the thumping of her heart in her chest. There was a weakness in her limbs and dryness in her throat and nose, everything felt wrong. She tried to move her arm but a pinching in her left hand stopped her from getting it very far. There was an IV drip in her arm, a feeding tube that flowed down her throat and came out her mouth and was uncomfortably taped to her cheek to keep it in place, and oxygen tube inserted in her nose to steady her breathing when she had been unconscious. The feeding tube was making her gag as she struggled to breathe on her own, so she pressed the button on the side of the bed for signaling a medic to come check up on her.

Sakura burst through the door looking like she was preparing herself for the worst, but that look of horror turned into one of sheer joy as her eyes went glassy and she pulled the her redheaded friend into a tight embrace.

"Hic..I thought you…hic…were never going…hic….to wake up" The medic nin managed to get out between sobs, not realizing she was smothering her friend in her arms. "Sakura" Juliet rasped out, "Look see I'm ok but you're squeezing me so hard that I can't breathe! Please get these tubes out me" she begged.

Sakura nodded and got to work removing the unnecessary tubes as painlessly as possible while another medic went to inform Tsunade about the changes in the patient's condition. Once she established that she could easily breathe on her own, she had some questions for her pink haired friend.

"Sakura?"

"Hm?"

"Is Asuma-sensei ok?!"

"Physically, yes he's perfectly healthy" she gave her a sad smile, making and uneasy feeling to settle in the room.

"How long have I been unconscious for?"

"About two years, almost on the dot actually! A lot has changed Ju-chan, I have so many things to tell you!"

The pink haired kunoichi continued on about something or other while Juliet sat in complete shock paying absolutely no attention to anything she was saying as she screamed out "TWO YEARS?! I've been in a comatose state for two years! Oh Kami!" her breathing took on a rapid rhythm making her dizzy. Sakura stood up and placed her hand on her chest using her chakra to control her friend's breathing. "Yeah, Ju-chan, you have been in a coma for two years. Lady Tsunade and I, and all the others have been so worried about you," she smiled down happily, "The elders yelled at Tsunade they told her that keeping you alive in your state was cruel and that she only did it out of her own personal grief, due to having failed you as a leader. But you know Tsunade she told them to go to Hell and all that nonsense so I personally requested to watch over you, so no one tried anything crazy ya' know? I wasn't going to give up on my best friend!" Juliet was the one to pull her friend in for a hug this time, startling her friend not used to seeing her affectionate side but returned the gesture none the less. They sat in silence for a while, Sakura jotting notes down in patient charts and Juliet studying her hospital room. There were flowers everywhere, covering every inch of counter space available, all kinds of them from Lillies and Roses to Sunflowers and Lotus Blossoms, all looking fresh and in full bloom.

"Sakura-chan?"

The pinkette looked up from her notes "What's up?"

"Where did all these flowers come from?"


	4. Chapter 4

There was a smile in her eyes as she answered her "Oh those? They're all from Asuma-sensei. He brings you new ones every day. Speaking of he has not been here yet today, he will be so excited to see that you're awake! He usually comes here later after he gets done with his training. You know Ju-chan, there has never been a single day in these whole two years that he has not come to check up on you."

Juliet's cheeks turned a rosy pink as she avoided eye contact with Sakura, trying to hide her embarrassment. Much to her relief, Tsunade had finally arrived and ushered Sakura out. The door clicked shut behind Sakura, and the now teary eyed Tsunade turned around to face her student.

Seeing the tears in her teacher's eyes made the young kunoichi's eyes burn with salty tears of her own. She tried to blink them away quickly before they started to fall, but Tsunade had wrapped her in a warm embrace and was now crying into her hair. Juliet's tears pooled over the edge of her eyelids and fell into Tsunade's shirt.

"I was so worried I would never get to see you awake again" Tsunade muttered softly into her hair, "Don't you ever scare me like that again! Understood?!"

Juliet hiccupped and hugged her tighter "Yes milady"

After a few moments they pulled apart both trying to regain their composure. Tsunade's face went from relieved and joyous to serious in a timeframe so small that Juliet was sure she was going to get a good lecture.

"Juliet, I'm glad you are awake, there is so much we need to discuss. First things first however. How are you feeling?"

"Umm…a bit weak but other than that nothing out of the ordinary. Has it really been two years?! That would make me twenty!"

"Yes, it has unfortunately. Next thing though, if you can recall, have you ever had an irregular menstrual cycle or missed consecutive cycles?"

"No, I've always been regular, why is there something wrong?"

"You have not had a period in two years. We have to run some tests, but it looks as though the damage to your body's reproductive organs may have rendered you incapable of conceiving a child." Tsunade sighed and looked at her student who stared down in her lap, hair hung in her face making it unreadable. "I'm so sorry, Ju-chan. I'm going to research into the matter and see if there are ways to reverse the damage, but I haven't been able to find anything yet…Juliet?"

The kunoichi sat there shoulders quivering, head hung low so her hair covered her face, but Tsunade could see the tears soaking the bed sheet that covered her lap. The Hokage took her hand telling her that everything would be ok, but her mind was elsewhere.

'_I've failed, I can never give Sasuke his wish of restoring the Uchiha clan. Hell, no man will want a woman who cannot provide him with heirs. I'm no good to anyone now'_

"Juliet?!" a deep voice tore her from her thoughts. She looked up in surprise attempting to wipe away her tears. There in the door frame stood none other than Kakashi Hatake, staring at her in shock.

"Kakashi-sensei?" she asked him, shocked that he would be here visiting her.

"Glad to see you awake again" he smiled beneath his mask. "Lady Hokage, the elders sent me to get you, said something about you ran out of the meeting in the middle of an important conversation. Sounded kind of angry to me"

"Gahh! Those old bats never know when to just let me be!" she sighed and ran her hands through her hair "Juliet I have to go finish this meeting, I'm sorry. Come in to see me sometime tomorrow and we will talk more ok?"

"Yes milady"

"Well I guess you're free to go for now. Don't overdo it though, your body may not be used to all the physical activity."

"Yes milady"

"Kakashi, help her get back into the swing of things for now. Get her up to date on all that has happened. Now I have to go."

Tsunade hugged her quickly and stomped off to meet with the elders.

"Sooo…." Started Kakashi, attempting to break the awkward silence that had settled into the room "You ok?"

"Huh?"

"You were crying? Did something happen?"

"Oh! No, I'm fine really. I was upset about how I'm 20 now. I feel so old!" She hated lying but she didn't want him to know what her reasons were.

"Gah! Way to make me feel like an old man!" He looked defeated

Juliet broke into a fit of giggles earning a confused look from the silver haired jounin.

"You're not that old, Kakashi"

"Suuure, now you are just trying to make me feel better about it."

"Nah! I'm serious!"

Something about her smile had him entranced and he found himself smiling back. He looked up at her to find her staring at him, her eyes unreadable.

'_Such beautiful eyes. No wonder why Sasuke chose her… Gah! What the hell am I doing?! This is my student's wife!"_

She cleared her throat to get his attention and stretched her body before swinging her legs over the edge of the bed and attempted to stand up. Being as graceful as she was not, she would've fell face first onto the floor if Kakashi had not caught her. Unfortunately for the young kunoichi, her hospital gown was indeed untied giving her savior an eyeful of her curves.

'_Fuck! Today is just not my day' _ she looked up at him blushing like mad.

Poor Kakashi's inner turmoil worsened the moment he caught her. Pulling her up against his chest before she faceplanted the floor. The back of her gown was open and against his will his eyes raked in her body, from her tiny waist to her voluptuous butt. His heart beat hard in his chest and his pants grew tight.

'_Shit! Pull yourself together man!'_ He snapped out of it, and propped her up on her feet and brushed himself off.

"Sorry bout that. You ok to walk now?"

He smirked at how deeply she had blushed.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Going to go get dressed now. Sorry I'm such a klutz!"

She ran off into the bathroom and grabbed some clothes. After a few moments of battling with her bra attempting to clasp it unsuccessfully and then trying to get an old tee of hers over her breasts with no luck, she gave up and opted for her corset top. She laced up the back of it, until she got to the top, realizing her breasts must have grown over the past two years, she sighed. _'There is no way I can tie this by myself! My boobs are going to fall out of it unless I get it super tight! Why me?! What are these like DD's?! I had B's! B's! My waist is super tiny though… Looks like I just did some miracle diet and exercise regimen. Ugh! I need clothes! I really don't want to ask Kakashi for help with this! Too awkward, but whatever guess I don't have a choice"_ She slid on a skirt and with her arm under her breasts to hold them up and to keep the corset covering them she swung the door open.

"Oi! Kakashi, can you help me tie this thing?! Nothing else will fit me"

He stared at her for a moment before he nodded.

Juliet turned her back to him and stared at the floor trying to hide her face in embarrassment.

'_I cannot believe I'm doing this'_ she grimaced inwardly.


	5. Chapter 5

Kakashi's fingers brushed her neck as he moved her hair out of the way, his fingers lingered on her freckled skin longer than they should have, but the warmth was so inviting that he couldn't help himself. He busied his hands with the task of properly lacing up the corset before his lingering touches became noticed. He tied the leftover ribbon into a bow and ruffled her hair.

"All done"

"Th-thank you Kakashi. Sorry I just couldn't tie it on my own"

She turned around to face him, cheeks still flushed red, and flipped her hair over her shoulder and let it fall until it rested just before the small of her back. The top did not look comfortable in any sense, the waist fit loosely, but it looked like her breasts were going to spill out of it. She noticed her predicament only causing her blush to deepen before she took a deep breath regaining her composure.

"Well I guess we are all set then?" She asked with a grin.

"Yep, where to ma'm?"

"Grrr...don't call me that! It makes me feel old"

" Ahhh an eye for an eye my dear, we'll call it even for now" he winked at her.

She turned pink all over again, glared at him and turned on her heel.

"C'mon! I want to go see Asuma-sensei and then Naruto!"

"Yeah, yeah let's go then."

"Well ummm... Where is Asuma?"

"My guess is probably some bar"

"Since when has Asuma become a drinker? I thought he would be with Shikamaru playing shogi or training."

"Well, since what happened to you he's uh... He has been pretty beat up about it, blames himself for it"

"That's silly ya' know? It was my decision to risk my own life. He had no say in the matter"

"It's not that simple. But, ahh here we are"

Juliet opened the door to the bar, scanning the room until she found him, or the shell of the man she knew two-years ago. This Asuma had just threw back his head finishing what looked like his fifth glass of sake, unless all the empty glasses lined up in front of him did not belong to him. There were dark circles under his eyes and his beard had needed a trim. The thing that bothered her the most were his eyes. They had a distant look in them, like his mind was elsewhere, but they held a sorrow that even the sake couldn't drown out. He lit up a cigarette and his chest heaved with a silent sigh.

Juliet having seen enough marched right up to him, hands on her hips and stared him down.

"Asuma?" She squeaked out, making him turn around to look at her.

It took a second for his mind to register just who was standing in front of him, but as soon as the recognition sparked in his eyes, he did not get the chance to react. Juliet pulled him into a tight embrace, burying her face in his flak jacket.

Asuma's cigarette fell from his lips and landed somewhere on the bar floor. The sake he had just guzzled down had slowed his reflexes but as soon as she wrapped her arms around him, he returned the gesture and rested his face in her scarlet locks. She smelled sweet like summer and strawberries. His body hummed taking in her warmth.

"I was so worried" he whispered softly brining his hands up to touch her face making sure that he wasn't dreaming. "I can't believe it's really you"

"It's me, Asuma. See? I'm awake now. I'm fine"

"Yea" he chuckled sending vibrations deep into his chest that she could feel through the thick fabric of his flak jacket. "Thought I was dreaming for a second though."

"It's really me. Promise"

He hugged her tighter into his chest and she rubbed her hands up and down his back. His flak jacket hung loosely to on his body and there were dark rings under his eyes like he had not slept in months. He coughed a nasty hacking cough and she could hear the flem gurgling deep in his throat. 'Goodness his smoker's cough has gotten definitely worse' she looked up at his face seeing how exhausted he was. She pulled back and they sat down at the bar, Kakashi sitting on the other side if you.

"Asuma? you feeling ok?" Asked Juliet concerned by his coughing.

"Yeah never been better" he lied scratching the back of his head

"You're a terrible liar! You know that right?"

"Never claimed otherwise!" He laughed coughing again, but this time he swayed in his seat and fell face first onto the bar passing out cold from all the alcohol he consumed. Juliet visibly sweat dropped while Kakashi was laughing his ass off next to her.

"Kakashi! This is not funny! He needs to rest! Help me get him somewhere where he can lay down"

"All right all right! I'll take him to my place he can crash on the sofa until he gets up."

"Thank you. I'll see if there's anything I can do to help with medical ninjustsu if it's ok with you?"

"Sure! Let's get him to my place first though".

Juliet nodded and paid Asuma's tab before draping one of his arms over her shoulder with Kakashi doing the same on the other side they lifted him up and carried him out of the bar together. They arrived at Kakashi's apartment quickly and laid Asuma down on the couch. He started to cough again waking up enough to mutter out one word "BUCKET!"

Kakashi ran into another room and returned quickly with a bucket, setting it down on the floor in front of the sofa. Asuma leaned over and emptied the contents of his stomach into the bucket and Juliet moved to sit behind him on the couch rubbing his back in soothing circles as his chest jerked with each dry heave. She untied his hiate-ate and set it on the arm of the couch waiting until he had finished letting his body fall back into the couch with his head resting in her lap. She put her hand on his cheek testing his body temp. He was sweaty but didn't seem to have a fever. 'That's good but he needs some fluids.' She looked down at him, running her hand over his head, to smooth his hair down when she noticed that vomit had gotten on his flak jacket and shirt. Unzipping his jacket she slipped it over his shoulders and tossed it on the floor and then pulled his shirt up and over his head so that he could cool off.

"Kakashi can you bring me a wet rag and a glass of water please?"

He nodded and came back with them quickly handing them to her before disappearing into the hall. She used the rag to wipe off the sweat and vomit left behind on his face and chest then threw the rag in with the dirty clothes. Tilting his head up she placed the glass to his lips letting him sip the water slowly. When finished she placed the cup on the side table and began running her one hand through his hair while the other busied itself using medical ninjutsu to help keep his nausea under control. He had drifted off to sleep by the time she was done and by that time she too was feeling drowsy, the lids of her eyes felt as if they weighed a ton and began to let sleep take over.

Kakashi walked out of his room with a blanket smiling to himself when he spotted the pair on the couch. He draped the blanket over them and grabbed the pile of laundry on the floor to through it in the washing machine. Walking into his room he stripped down to his boxers and climbed into bed pulling the sheets over his face just in case.


End file.
